New calendar ready featuring Chilliwack’s Nietzsche the Cat

The Bookman’s resident cat Nietzsche has been featured in numerous publications, including newspapers, books and calendars.

Each image shows the long-haired, calm-tempered feline in a different light, from regal and commanding to restful and relaxing. And now, the best of those images are available for the 2018 Nietzsche The Cat Calendar.

For years, Ena Vermerris has been on mission to provide low cost spays and neuters, and affordable veterinary care for financially challenged members of our community. She also provides treatments for worms, fleas, mites and provides low-cost vaccinations and basic first aid care in the home and advice to the best of her knowledge. She has personally taken in over 5600 cats for spay/neuter in her career, and does so completely on a volunteer basis.

The Book Man’s owner, Amber Price, has been one of Ena’s biggest cheerleaders, sharing that same love of cats. Regulars to The Book Man will already know Nietzsche is the downtown Chilliwack store’s star attraction. He spends his days wandering the aisles, visiting customers at the door or lazing about in one of two armchairs in the store’s windows.

He has his own social media account on Vine, and his images pop up on Instagram regularly.

Over the years, he’s drawn the attention of local photographers, including Claudia Wyler. Before long, they had enough photos for a calendar. And Price wanted to help out Ena’s efforts. A calendar, along with a selection of affordable bookmarks, were the perfect fit. The first calendar was created in 2012, and in 2013 they expanded to include a long list of other local cats.

But this year, the spotlight is right back on Nietzsche — at least in the world of calendars.

New chapter for Martin

There’s also been a bit of excitement at The Bookman over the past few weeks. Regular readers, especially the cat lovers out there, will remember the saga of Martin the Video Tonite cat. For years, Martin was Nietszche’s cross-town counterpart, greeting customers of the both the video store and the neighbouring IGA on Menzies and Yale.

But Video Tonite eventually closed last year, and people started to wonder where Martin had gone. Price had heard Martin was in the SPCA, and hoped to bring him to live with Nietzsche at their store. After some more intense sleuthing, Price found Martin — in the loving care of a family in the Fraser Valley.

Price and the family have kept in touch, and when they decided to take an extended holiday overseas, they rang her up and asked if the kitty door was still open for him.

Of course it was. So, from now until the spring, Martin the Video Tonite cat is visiting his old friends. People have been popping in specifically to see Martin, who is often at the counter and ready for a scratch or an ear rub. Even after his brief retirement, it only took a few days for him to get back into the swing of things, Price said.

To see Martin, Nietzsche, or pick up a calendar or a few bookmarks, drop into The Book Man on Wellington. Ena Vermerris will also be having a signing at the Book Man on Dec. 9. People can have their calendar signed, meet Ena in person, and even have Nietzsche “paw-tograph” their calendars.

The bookmarks and calendars will be available at The Book Man, and calendars will also be available at Minter Country Gardens & Little Mountain Greenhouse.